StoneBridge Church creates playful building blocks for children

Jonathan Garris

Published
12:30 am CST, Thursday, February 7, 2013

Hank Harughy plays on the new children’s play space at StoneBridge Church Wednesday. The new children’s building features more than 15,000 square feet of learning and play space for young children, including a large Tree of Life for youngsters to play on and explore. The tree, as well as the surrounding space, is filled with carvings, murals and other design motifs that emphasize biblical teachings.

Hank Harughy plays on the new children’s play space at StoneBridge Church Wednesday. The new children’s building features more than 15,000 square feet of learning and play space for young children, including a large Tree of Life for youngsters to play on and explore. The tree, as well as the surrounding space, is filled with carvings, murals and other design motifs that emphasize biblical teachings.

THE WOODLANDS - The StoneBridge Church in The Woodlands hopes its new children’s area will do more than simply open the hearts and minds of local youngsters.

The new children’s building features two floors, with the first floor comprised of more than 15,000 square feet of teaching and play areas, complete with a large Tree of Life at the center. The new facility is aimed primarily at children in preschool through the fourth grade.

Children are able to freely explore and climb around the tree, which has a hollowed center, communications director Ben Humeniuk said. The tree is covered with carvings illustrating the 12 biblical eras taught through the StoneBridge children’s curriculum.

Pathways around the tree also lead to teaching areas, including eight classrooms and even a snack area in the back of the building. There is also a model-size Hobbit-like house, complete with a garden to pull fake vegetables.

“It kind of looks like something pulled out of the Lord of the Rings movie sets,” Humeniuk said.

The church had big ambitions when it came to expanding itself over the years. However, the first step was unclear at first, Humeniuk said. The children’s building is one of three recently opened or expanded buildings in the congregation.

However, it wasn’t long before the group realized it was reaching maximum capacity for the children’s programs.

Officials with StoneBridge enlisted Bruce Barry as the project’s design consultant. Barry is responsible for the interior decor of the Rainforest Café restaurant chain and other businesses and continues to create themed environments for churches in the United States and abroad.

“We sat down with him at a conference and said that we wanted to go big,” Humeniuk said. “We wanted a place where kids can be educated and explore biblical teachings in a tactile fashion.”

Plans and designs for the children’s building were completed as early as 2008, and the church broke ground on the facility in October. On Jan. 27, StoneBridge opened the first floor to the public.

A 17,500-square-foot second story is unfinished, and StoneBridge is looking to service their current loan before moving on to another project.

“We want to make sure we’re being fiscally responsible and it’s likely we’ll wait a few years before completing the second floor,” Humeniuk said.

He emphasized that the new children’s building is open to the entire community. He likened the play space to the one inside The Woodlands Mall.

“We wanted to create something that was a little smaller and a little more intimate, but also an area that stays clean and is just plain fun for the kids,” Humeniuk said.

Becky Canterbury, director of family life ministries, said the congregation is excited about opening Wacky World.

“It’s so wild to see kids and their parents come into the play space for the first time,” Canterbury said. “Their mouth just hangs open and there’s so much to see.”

Within the next week, the church will begin holding play date sessions for early grade students and pre-schoolers, Canterbury said. Interested parents have to register their children for the play dates as there is a limit, but the support from the community so far has been “outstanding.”

“It’s so good now to hear from people that their kids are waking them up in the morning to come to church,” Canterbury said with a laugh.

She said StoneBridge’s investment in its new children’s area is a testament to the congregation’s commitment to families and their children.

“There are a lot of shared values and beliefs in this area, and we want people to know that we truly have their best interests in mind,” Canterbury said.